[Solved] Apple iPhone iOS Update Bricked My iPhone - How to Rescue it?

Q: I've just upgraded to iOS new version and phone is bricked. No phone calls no iMessage and not possible to connect to iTunes.
Almost no apps are working and updating them that works takes forever.
Really don't want to do a full factory restore with the latest iCloud backup.
Any chance that this can be fixed either with a beta or restore before the update?

This is a really frustrating problem that when we rely too much on our phones and suddenly they brick. iOS 13, iOS 14, iOS 15, and iOS 16 are both major releases of the iOS mobile operating system by Apple Inc. Apple has released lots of software updates recently. It seems that some people face updating issues. Many announced new features and performance improvements attracted users to upgrade the system. However, there are some problems that occurred when updating iOS 14/15/16 like the above. How to fix a bricked iPhone caused by iOS update failure? In this guide, we show you three different ways to recover your ios system.

What is a bricked iPhone?

Before we repair the bricked iPhone, let us know about "bricked". Generally speaking, brick means not working. It won’t turn on or seems to be "bricked". There are many different issues, such as iPhone stuck verifying updates, iPhone stuck on Apple logo, stuck in iTunes restore mode, stuck on DFU mode, stuck on boot loop and more. There is a good chance that your iPhone is functional and you can wake your iPhone up using gentle ways.
Basic Notice： Before trying to repair your iPhone, make sure that your iPhone has enough power during the whole process. Having no idea about the remaining power? To ensure the power is on, charge it for about 10 to 20 minutes.

Method 1, Force Restart your iPhone.

iPhone update bricked the phone problems may not be serious, the updating may be interrupted by a cut off of the power cable when updating on the Mac or PC, or a failure internet connection, etc. Force restart it to check whether it is a pretended brick first.

When you restart your iPhone, the mobile system starts to reboot and you have a great possibility to wake up it. The Restart method you need to apply depends on the model of iPhone you own. There is a complete guide on which button to press and how to perform a force restart of the iPhone.

1. For example, as to the iPhone 7 restart, press and hold both the Sleep/Wake and Volume Down buttons for at least ten seconds.
2. As to iPhone 8/8 Plus, iPhone X/XS/XR/XS Max, iPhone 11/11 pro/11 pro, First, quickly press and release the volume up button. Second, quickly press and release the volume down button, and then press and hold the power button until the Apple logo appears.

Sometimes, you may find it is still stuck on the boot loop, remove the iPhone cover and force restart again. The hard cover might stop you from pressing the button effectively. Restart is the basic principle method. Be sure to have a try.

You can check this comprehensive guide about forcing restart iPhone of different Models.

Method 2, Restore with iTunes.

1. Use a USB cable to connect your iPhone to your PC.

2. Make sure your iTunes keep updated. Open your iTunes app on your PC, Find your device icon on the top left window of iTunes.

3. Click Summary.

4. Click restore and follow the instructions.

Note: This method will delete all your information and data on your iPhone. Pay attention to it that the restore is a factory reset. However, if you have former backup files in iTunes, you can restore your iPhone to how it was when you last backup it.

Method 3, Fix with iOS System Recovery.

For the sake of data rescue, most people may not want to restore to a factory reset. And if you are not satisfied with the following approaches, I recommend you use the safe and quick method 3. In Fact, I have suffered iOS system updating bricked my iPhone problem just recently, and it became normal easily with iOS System Recovery. Use this iOS System Recovery to repair your iPhone. iOS System Recovery can easily restore your iPhone back to normal. It can unbrick the iPhone in several minutes.

How to Fix a Bricked iPhone Updating to iOS new version without Data Loss?

Step 1, Download iOS system recovery and install it on your Mac or Windows PC. After launching it, click more tools> iOS system recovery     

Step 2, Connect your iPhone to a PC with a USB cable, you can see that it can fix 50+ iPhone issues without any data loss and it can also upgrade and download grade your iOS system. Click the “Start” button.

Step 3, Keep the default checked box Mode “Standard Mode”. By selecting the Standard Mode, you can repair your iPhone without data loss. And if you would like to erase all the data from your iPhone, check the “Advanced Mode”. Here we choose Standard Mode and Click the "Confirm" button. if your device is successfully connected, on the left panel of the window, it will show a green tick. Or else you should check the cable and reconnect it until a Green tick iPhone appears.

Step 4, Then you can check your iPhone screen and its status. A functional iPhone will be switched on! The window shows your iPhone status and basic info including iPhone status if your iPhone is normal, Congratulations! Quit the app if you prefer to keep the previous system version. The app has got it done to normal in a few seconds.

Step 5, Update to iOS Newer Versions or Downgrade to Lower Versions Approach

If you intend to continue to update to iOS 13 or downgrade to lower versions, click “optimize”, select the system versions you need, and click “Next”. Because of the big size (above 3GB) of iOS 13.2, iOS 13.2.2, and the latest iOS 13.3 beta firmware files, you will wait for a while for the downloads. iOS system recovery offers a browser download and you can just import here and fix it. After downloading the firmware files, repair your system and Now you can use your iPhone again.

Summary:

Before upgrading to the iOS new version, you had better back up your iPhone data entirely. Though the iOS(iPhone) update is tempting, there are risks of missing your data or error occurring during the updating process. If you accidentally run into the problem of a bricked iPhone when the iPhone updating, this guide will help you to arouse your iPhone and recover it to a normal state.